Manning lawyer gives more details on gender change

In this undated file photo provided by the U.S. Army, Pfc. Bradley Manning poses for a photo wearing a wig and lipstick. Manning plans to live as a woman named Chelsea and wants to begin hormone therapy as soon as possible, the soldier said Thursday, Aug. 22, 2013, a day after he was sentenced to 35 years in prison for sending classified material to WikiLeaks. (AP Photo/U.S. Army, File)

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PROVIDENCE, Rhode Island (AP) — An attorney for Army Pvt. Chelsea Manning, who was previously known as Bradley Manning, says the soldier decided to announce that she wanted to live as a woman the day after sentencing because a military prison said publicly it would not provide hormone treatment.

Attorney David Coombs told The Associated Press on Monday that Manning wanted the media attention over the court-martial to dissipate before making the announcement. But Manning decided to go ahead with it after a Courthouse News Service story quoted a military prison spokeswoman saying hormone treatment would not be allowed. The story was published the day before the soldier was sentenced to 35 years.

Coombs says he hopes the military prison will allow the treatment and eliminate any need to sue in military or civilian court.